Fighting finches flew under the radar, Danbury police say

By John Pirro, Staff Writer

Published 12:03 am, Tuesday, September 1, 2009

DANBURY -- They're smaller, easy to conceal, and a lot quieter than a shed full of roosters.

But until police raided a suburban home in Shelton on Sunday morning and arrested 19 men -- eight of them Danbury residents who were allegedly prepared to wager on bouts between creatures better known for their singing ability than their fighting prowess -- the "sport" of bird fighting had been flying under the radar of law enforcement and animal-protection officials across the country.

Most of the nearly 150 birds seized from the home were saffron finches, native to South America and popular as house pets. The male of the species is territorial and polygamous, a trait that has caused it to be used in blood sport, similar to cock fighting or dog fighting.

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The birds are placed in a cage or other enclosure, and spectators bet on the outcome.

All 19 men charged were originally from Brazil, but the activity is not strictly "a Brazilian thing," according to Danbury police Sgt. John Krupinsky, one of the few law-enforcement officers who'd heard of it before Sunday's raid made headlines across the country.

"It's not a Puerto Rican thing' or an Ecuadorian thing' either. It's a whoever shows up with the money thing,' " Krupinsky said. "You will find people who will bet on anything if they think they can make money off it, unfortunately."

Whether such matches are taking place in Danbury isn't known, he said. "But it's safe to say that it's probably going on in any city with a large immigrant population."

Members of Danbury's Brazilian community were surprised by the nature of the raid and at learning eight of the suspects were from Danbury.